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North·BRADLYN'S BLOG

Bad news: Extreme cold in the N.W.T. isn't going anywhere

It's been five days and counting of wind chills below -50 C in the North Slave region, and that's not expected to change any time soon, says CBC meteorologist Bradlyn Oakes.

It's been 5 days and counting of wind chills below -50 C in the North Slave region

Bradlyn Oakes · CBC News ·
It's been five days and counting of temperatures below -30 C in the North Slave region, and that's not expected to change any time soon, says CBC meteorologist Bradlyn Oakes. (Andrew Pacey/CBC)

Winter temperatures in December are on par for the territory, but wind chills this week came cold and fast.

It felt like there was barely time to get out the parkas.

Since Sunday, an extreme cold warning has been in place for Yellowknife and the North Slave region, including Wekweeti, Whati, and Behchoko with wind chills that feel like –50 C.  

What's the weather maker here? A large high-pressure mass of cold Arctic air that has remained stagnant over the territory since the weekend.  

This Arctic air brought in cold temperatures, clear skies, and winds that chill to the bone. This made the perfect conditions for an extreme cold warning. 

Extreme cold warnings

On Sunday night, the first extreme cold warning came through as air temperatures dropped to the –30s and wind chills overnight approached –50 C. Wekweeti saw those wind chills down on Monday to –53. 

These conditions remained the same through the last five days, with wind chills again approaching –50 C through the North Slave. 

A view of Yellowknife on Thursday Dec. 12. The extreme cold is not expected to let up anytime soon. (Andrew Pacey/CBC)

Extreme cold warnings are issued by Environment Canada when a regional temperature threshold is met. This temperature value can be with or without the wind chill.

In the Yukon and most of the N.W.T (except Paulatuk, Sachs Harbour and Ulukhaktok), extreme cold warnings are issued for persistent temperatures below –50 C.

Typical winter

The bad news is, this cold weather is sticking around.   

This Arctic air looks to be staying in place, and the North Slave region will remain cold and clear through to next week with temperatures in Yellowknife below –30 C.

This cold snap comes at the beginning of what looks to be a fairly typical winter — meaning we shouldn't expect to see many above-average temperature trends through to March.  

As these warnings and temperatures persist, it's good to remember that extremely cold temperatures can lead to frostbite and cold-related illness.

So, if you're headed outside, bundle up, cover up, and stay warm out there. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bradlyn Oakes

Meteorologist

Bradlyn Oakes, CBC North’s meteorologist, covers the weather and climate for the Canadian territories. You can catch her weekdays on CBC’s Northbeat at 6 pm MT. Have weather photos to share? Send them to bradlyn.oakes@cbc.ca.

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